Groundshaker cults

Groundshaker cults
Type	Local faith
Areas of concern	Groundshakers, massive creatures
Typical worshipers	Primarily Hinthialite and Marcher elves
Divine font	Heal or Harm
Divine skill	Survival
Divine ability	Constitution or Strength
Favored weapon	Natural weapons
Symbol	Various; typically a depiction of a groundshaker
Sacred animal	Groundshakers
Sacred color	Gray and green

Groundshaker cults are a group of loosely-connected religious movements that worship the groundshakers, as the massive creatures of the Cradle are known. The cults are split between those that worship Targhizizi and Tharumagi, the twin giant tortoise-like creatures that have lived on the Cradle since before written records began, and those that worship the voidborne groundshakers brought to the planet inadvertently as the Eitan elves built the aeroliths. While the first group tends to be good-aligned, the second trends more towards evil.

History

Groundshaker cults have existed in some form for thousands of years. The twins Targhizizi and Tharumagi were the subject of veneration back in the days of the Kingdom of Eita, though their worship was never widespread. More recently, after the elven exile to Hinthial, some cults have grown around the groundshakers that hatched after being brought to the ground with the aeroliths.

Beliefs

Groundshaker cultists that follow the two tortoise-like giants see the creatures as stoic and benevolent guardians. The actions of smaller folk seem to matter little to the twins and they can be careless in their movements, to the point of unintentionally crushing villages underneath them. Still, the cultists believe their very presence serves as a deterrent against other dangers. Besides the coastal cities of the northeast, some of the few remaining elven populations on the Cradle are nomadic groundshaker cultists who follow Targhizizi or Tharumagi as they wander the island, relying on them for protection against the other giant monsters. Ancient forms of groundshaker cultist beliefs also considered the tortoises to be wise if enigmatic teachers, and while these beliefs still exist they have been de-emphasized in the modern day.

Conversely, those that worship the voidborne groundshakers, the creatures unintentionally transported to the Cradle inside the asteroids used to build the aeroliths, largely do so in awe of their unmatched destructive abilities. The great colossi of Eita were no match for the voidborne, and apart from the twins they have yet to encounter another foe they cannot easily dispatch. Between their unsurpassed strength, magical abilities, and apparent immortality, the voidborne are believed by the cultists to be divine entities walking the world. Many give offerings or attempt to direct the creatures' attention to carefully chosen targets in hopes that they will be blessed by the voidborne and gain similar powers themselves. Some groundshaker cultists have tried to lead the creatures across the sunken land bridge between the Cradle and Hinthial, with the aim of aiding the groundshakers in spreading to the rest of the world. Thankfully, they have as of yet not had any success.

Evil groundshaker cultists are known to construct effigies of their enemies, which they sometimes then try to guide the groundshakers to destroy in the belief that doing so will divinely smite the figure depicted.

Followers

Both good- and evil-aligned groundshaker cults are somewhat shunned within Hinthial, though they find more acceptance in Brightmarch. Outside of these two regions, believers in these faiths are exceedingly rare. Nearly all groundshaker cultists are elven, though some half-elves and others in Brightmarch have adopted their beliefs as well. Within Hinthial worship of the groundshakers cuts across social movements, and Redemptionists, Wild Ones, and those associated with neither strain of thought all can be found among those that adhere to the faiths. While the cults remain very small in terms of actual followers, they have had a somewhat outsized cultural impact.